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Think You Can Design A Better Medical Bill?

The Department of Health and Human Services wants to improve your medical bills. So much so that they have launched a nationwide challenge called “A Bill You Can Understand,” to help create a clearer, less complex, and more understandable medical bill that improves the patient financial experience.

HHS hopes that a national challenge will catalyze innovation by bringing new players to the table including designers, developers, digital tech start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other innovators who may traditionally be outside the healthcare space.

The program is now accepting applications and the submission requirements include:

A written design brief (not to exceed 2,250 words) describing the concept, the design principles it follows, and how it meets the evaluation criteria

A brief video (less than 3 minutes) describing the concept, the design principles it follows, and how it meets the evaluation criteria

Visual compositions (including information, layout, and aesthetic) of the tools and materials the patient may see and interact with, including the medical bill itself

A journey map that illustrates changes to the medical billing process from the patient’s perspective in terms of his/her specific experience and what solutions are provided by the health care organizations involved

Winners can receive up to $10,000 in cash prizes if their ideas are chosen.

$5,000 – Prize 1: Easiest Bill to Understand

$5,000 – Prize 2: Transformational Approach

Honorable Mentions: Entries that do not win but demonstrate a compelling concept or solution may receive an honorable mention.

Judges will look for a human-centered design, the use of patient facing materials and technology and how effectively the solution addresses current challenges.

The application deadline is August 10.

Winners will be announced during the Health 2.0 Annual Fall Conference September 25-28. In addition to the cash prize, winners may also have the opportunity to work with the healthcare organizations supporting the challenge to implement their concepts (in whole or part) in the real world.